


Phantom Pain

by Set_WingedWarrior



Category: RWBY
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Help, I'm Bad At Tagging, One Shot, Post-Volume 6 (RWBY), Sharing a Bed, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 11:22:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17827619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Set_WingedWarrior/pseuds/Set_WingedWarrior
Summary: Part of her was contemplating the idea to just keep it like that, just like a scar, a reminder of what happened. But then she remembered how he already left his mark on her, and that fake arm proved it well.-Yang experiences some phantom pain and Blake is ready to help.After all they're always there for each other, right?





	Phantom Pain

**Author's Note:**

> I officially fell for this ship and joined the fandom like a week ago and immediately thought about this tiny shot. So yeah, that's my first work here. Don't destroy me please lol

Saying that team RWBY and friends had to face a lot of obstacles during their quests was a euphemism by now, yet the journey to Atlas proved to be a fairly hard one. Their arrival wasn’t the nicest as well, but they managed to get by and that’s the important thing.

After finding a place to stay, they split up to do various things, from useful tasks like getting some food for dinner, to just have a walk and explore the new place. No one dared to complain at the decision for everyone to do whatever they pleased for the rest of the day, after all they went through, they all more than earned it.

Yang decided to stay inside, settle down and rest, still a little shaken by her latest battle. Blake felt the same way.

The Faunus was in the kitchen making some tea while her partner stayed in their room, laying on her bed and looking up at her robotic arm. There was still the sign of Adam’s blade on it; she wasn’t sure what to do about it.

Part of her was contemplating the idea to just keep it like that, just like a scar, a reminder of what happened. But then she remembered how he already left his mark on her, and that fake arm proved it well.

Lost in her mind, looking but not really looking at it anymore, she didn’t notice until it was too late the familiar feeling that started growing and expanding from her right shoulder.

“Oh no” she whispered, knowing exactly what was coming. She quickly got up into a sitting position, holding her robotic arm to her chest. She proceeded then taking deep breaths, sometimes broken by a moan of pain.

“Hey, I brought you- Yang!” Blake quickly put her two mugs of tea on the nearby desk and rushed beside the girl in pain “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” the blonde answered in between a breath and another.

“Of course I’m worried” after a quick scanning of the surrounding and her partner, the Faunus knew that it couldn’t be something too serious (she clearly wasn’t being attacked or something like that), but serious or not that it might have been she needed to know. Blake cared deeply for her companion and if something was wrong, she wanted to help. “You can talk to me” She tried again, lightly, aware that trying to force her would’ve been not only useless, but counterproductive.

“It’s just…” she made a pause, Blake wasn’t sure if because of uncertainty or pain. Maybe both “It hurts”

“Is it because of the battle with… our last fight?” even if Adam was gone for good now, Blake still couldn’t bring herself to say his name. Probably Yang wouldn’t been thrilled to hear it as well.

“What? No, it’s not that.” the blonde looked perplex for a second, forgetting her pain for a moment “Not really”

“I do not understand, how can I help you?”

“You can’t.” Blake’s face fell with her ears, and Yang realized that it came out rougher than she intended to. She placed her good hand on hers, even if it meant removing the comforting presence from her fake arm. She sensed tension and more pain, but tried to ignore it to reassure the girl beside her bed “It’s my… arm. My right arm.” She finally admitted, staring at it again “I’m not really sure _how_ , but sometimes it just hurts.”

“Phantom pain” when the blonde looked up again, she found a couple understanding eyes. There was no pity in them, just care and another feeling too soon to be faced and properly comprehended yet. But it was there.

Maybe, someday, when they’ll be ready.

Blake got closer, sitting beside Yang on her bed, and gently placed her hands on her prosthetic “Where does it hurt?”

Yang smiled at the gesture “Kind of everywhere. It usually feels like my muscles are really tense.” She accurately avoided to say how was also burning this time, right around the scratch that was left.

The Faunus didn’t say a word. She just nodded and caressed lightly on her arm. Yang didn’t know why she shivered under her touch. Gradually she applied more and more pressure until the caresses turned into a real massage. She started with the joint, slowly moving down.

Yang blushed in front of such an intimate gesture, but soon relaxed and leaned into her touch. “You know” she broke the silence “it’s weird. How I can feel even if there’s nothing anymore”

“It’s a trick of your mind. Basically, your brain remembers what… was there, and thinking you’re hurt makes you feel it. Having a replacement usually helps coping with it.

“I see you did your homework” Yang teased her “I know how it works, it’s not that. I meant your hands.” Blake stopped for a second out of surprise, but soon got back working on the arm. She figured she was doing some good because the blonde didn’t make any more noises of pain since she started, so maybe stopping now wasn’t a good idea.

“What about my hands?” she asked carefully

“It’s weird. I remember the sensation and so in some way I can steel feel what you’re doing. I remember how being touched feels like, the warmth” with a smooth movement she took one of Blake’s hands with her robotic one “even if I can’t actually feel them… in some way I do.”

Looking up was probably the worst mistake Blake could’ve done, because the moment her gaze met Yang’s she lost herself in her lilac eyes. There was so much tenderness in them… it wasn’t the first time she looked at her like that, but it wasn’t something she thought she could get used to; at least not yet. She was unable to look away, still gently stroking her arm with her free hand.

Quiet surrounded them. It wasn’t a comfortable silence nor an uncomfortable one. There was something in the air, unspoken yet known, and for a while none of them dared to say a word.

Once again, it was Yang to take the lead and break the silence. “Thank you. That’s… that’s really helpful. I feel better now.”

“I’m glad I could help” she answered with a warm smile.

The blonde fought for a moment with her own thoughts before deciding what to say next “I… I think I will rest now. Maybe take a nap since I’m already here” she gave an awkward laugh over her badly landed joke out of nervousness. Blake couldn’t help but smile and think it was adorable. “After all it’s been some _eventful_ days to say the least”

“Yeah, you can bet” she agreed with a half laugh herself.

“So maybe you’d like to join me?” Yang asked uncertainty with half of a smile.

“Xiao Long, are you trying to take me to bed?” Blake’s teasing voice clearly helped the other girl’s nerves, making her more at ease.

“Can you blame me?” There it was. That smartass grin the Faunus loved so much; it was nice to see it again.

Instead of answering that, the other girl pushed gently her fierce and teasing friend on her back on the mattress and joined her side. Yang was half joking with her suggestion, but her smirk turned into a sweeter smile when Blake hugged her robotic arm, holding it close to her chest, and laid her forehead on her shoulder. She made herself comfortable and let out an happy satisfied sigh.  

It didn’t take long for the two of them to lose themselves in each other’s warmth and drift away in the dreamland.

There was so much the two of them had to figure out and talk through yet, but there was no rush. Everything was perfect as it was at the moment, and both of them knew the right time would’ve come soon.

 

***

 

**BONUS:**

 

More or less an hour later, Yang’s the first to wake up when she felt something moving beside her. Her first thought was that Blake was awake too and getting up, but when she checked on her, her friend was still happily asleep.

She wasn’t wrong though into thinking that her partner was the responsable of waking her. Yang rubbed her eyes with her good hand first, then when she saw what was going on she had to put her hand over her mouth.

Not knowing if she would’ve let out a laugh or a “ _aaaawww_ ” in a pitched voice, she just _had_ to forcefully stop herself from making any noise at all.

Not an easy task.

Blake was still sleeping, completely oblivious of what was going on, on what Yang was doing and, most importantly, on what _she_ was doing.  Because she was kneading Yang’s robotic arm, and after leaning her ear close enough the blonde was sure there was a tinny “ _purr”_ coming from her as a background.

_Cute!_

The thing she wanted the most now was to take several pictures and prepare puns about all of this, but her scroll was sadly out of her reach and she didn’t want interrupt this for anything in the world. So she settled and enjoyed the show.

She was _so_ going to mock her later!

**Author's Note:**

> Blake studied everything about limb loss and related stuff after she ran away you can't change my mind


End file.
